


The Tale of Three Siblings

by hhwgv



Series: 52 Week Writing Challenge [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Wizards, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-20 23:32:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6029586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhwgv/pseuds/hhwgv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had barely set foot on the bridge when a figure rose from the most before them. It was dark and cloaked - too solid to be a ghost and too small to be a dementor, Cora didn't know what it was. When it spoke, however, she knew that it was not of this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tale of Three Siblings

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the fourth prompt of the 52 short stories in 52 weeks, " _a story about three siblings_." Based on the Tale of Three Brothers from Harry Potter.
> 
> I wrote this on my phone, so blame any mistakes on that.

The moon hung high in the sky, bright and full, its blue light illuminating the path ahead. Cora shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around her body, and risked a glance at her siblings. The first signs of exhaustion were visible on Laura's face - dark circles had appeared underneath her eyes and she looked much older than she actually was. Derek's face held the same expression it had since Paige had died, stoic and blank on the surface, but sadness and anger warred beneath it, threatening to break through at any moment. He had been lost ever since - his magic wasn't as strong and he was unable to produce even a wisp of vapour when he attempted a patronus.

They had been travelling since noon - on their way home from visiting their mother - and it was nearing midnight. They were taking a shortcut that their uncle had told them about, claiming it was the fastest way for them to get home. Cora was starting to wonder if there was any truth in the statement when they came to the bank of a river.

The river was deep and wide, flowing faster than any of the others Cora had seen. The moon reflected off of the rushing water, casting an eerie light along its edges. Before Cora could even pull out her wand, Laura had used hers to make a bridge that arched across the swirling water, allowing them to pass with ease.

They had barely set foot on the bridge when a figure rose from the mist before them. It was dark and cloaked - too solid to be a ghost and too small to be a dementor, Cora didn't know what it was. When it spoke, however, she knew that it was not of this world.

Its voice was rough and deep - like rocks clashing against one another. It advanced towards them and Laura readied her wand, prepared to attack. The figure laughed - at least, that's the closest thing it could be compared to - and when it was close, Cora felt a chill run down her spine as if a dementor was nearby.

“You cannot kill me,” the figure said, “for I am the one who takes life away. Many people drown in this river, but you three were able to pass easily. As a reward, I will grant you each one wish.”

Cora could not see Death’s face, but she was certain that if she could, he would be smiling. The offer didn't sit right in Cora’s stomach, but before she could mention it to her siblings, Laura had spoken.

“I want a wand,” Laura said, her voice strong and clear. “A wand so powerful that it cannot be defeated, so everyone will know that I have beaten death.”

The figure drifted silently over to a large Elder tree that sat beside the river and plucked one of the branches. He shaped it in his hands, twisting and pulling, and presented it to Laura with an open palm.

Laura took it, a triumphant look on her face, and Death turned to Derek.

Derek spoke quietly, as if his voice was about to break. “I want something that will allow me to resurrect the dead, so I have proof of how easily death was beaten.”

Death drifted to the edge of the river and plucked a stone from the wet muck. He rolled it through his fingers and dropped it into Derek's outstretched palm. “Turn it over three times and you will be reunited with your lost love,” Death instructed.

With that, he turned to face Cora. She didn't speak for a moment as she considered her options. Her stomach was uneasy, knowing that neither Derek not Laura’s gifts would shield them from Death. She spoke as confidently as she could, “I want to leave this place without being followed. I want to be able to hide from you until I choose not to.”

Death hesitated for a moment before taking the cloak off of his shoulders and resting it on Cora’s arm. She wrapped it around herself experimentally and looked down - pleased to see that her body had completely disappeared.

When she looked up again, Death had retreated back into the swirling waters and the three siblings continued on their way.

* * *

With the Elder wand in hand, Laura felt more powerful than ever before. She felt like she could crush anyone who dared to provoke her. Her mind was suddenly full of the names of people who'd wronged her - from minor sleights to major pains. The one name that ran through her mind over and over was Kate Argent.

Kate was in Laura’s year at school and had spent the entire time making not only Laura’s life miserable, but Derek's as well. She was cruel and Derek was naïve, he trusted her more than he should have and, as a result, spent almost a year in the hospital.

She'd entered Derek into the Triwizard Tournament when he was only 12 and definitely not up to the task. It had been almost ten years since the incident, but anger bubbled through Laura’s veins and she set off to find Kate.

Laura let the anger overtake her as she traveled through the countryside and by the time she reached Kate’s town, the anger had turned to rage. She could feel it coursing through her and she was more than willing to let it control her.

The duel didn't last long. Only a few curses were thrown between them when Laura uttered the final blow and Kate didn't stand a chance. Her body hit the ground with a dull thud and Laura felt something ignite within her. A tinge of guilt crawled up her spine, but the triumph was stronger, more pronounced.

In an effort to vanquish the negative feelings and focus on the positive, Laura found herself sitting at the local pub, inebriated, and bragging about her run-in with death and the indestructible wand she'd earned. In her drunken stupor, she ignored the sense of unease that crept into her mind.

Laura fell into one of the Inn’s empty beds, the Elder wand tucked securely into her sleeve. While she slumbered, one of the people from the pub snuck into her room and sliced open her throat, staking their claim on the Elder wand.

And so Death took the first sibling for his own.

* * *

Derek sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the seemingly normal stone in his palm. It was smooth and round and there was something about it that screamed “ _danger_.” Instead of listening to the cautionary voice in his head, he turned the stone over once, twice, three times.

When he looked up from the stone, there she was. “Paige,” he breathed, allowing tears to run freely down his cheeks.

“Derek,” Paige said, her voice sounding distant and sad. “What have you done?”

Derek strode across the room towards her, taking one of her hands in his. She was cold and her skin too pale, but it was her. She was here, her heart beating faintly underneath her skin. “Now we can be together,” he told her, forcing a smile onto his face. “You're alive, you're here.”

“I shouldn't be here,” Paige said, her face miserable and downturned.

It didn't take long for Derek to realize that Paige wasn't truly alive. She went through the motions, but she was constantly sad and she was never as warm as she was before. She would never be what she was before.

Derek could feel his heart breaking - living with the empty shell of the woman he used to love was somehow worse than living without her. His heart ached when he looked at her and it became unbearable quickly.

“We can't be together here,” Paige said, her voice haunting.

Derek knew what he needed to do.

And so Death took the second sibling for his own.

* * *

Cora wrapped the invisibility cloak around her shoulders as she set out for the next town. Ever since her siblings had met their untimely demise, she made a habit of taking the cloak with her wherever she went. Something in the back of her mind told her that Death was looking for her and when he found her once more, she would meet an ending much like Laura and Derek's.

Thanks to the cloak, however, she lived a long and happy life - she married and started a family - and when she felt it was time for her to meet with Death once more, she removed the cloak, handing it down to her oldest daughter.

When the hooded figure appeared before her, she smiled. The fear that knotted Cora’s stomach at the time of their first meeting wasn't there this time - she knew what was about to happen. Death outstretched his hand towards her and Cora took it, following him into the bright light of the afterlife, where Derek and Laura sat waiting for her - even after all those years.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed.


End file.
